Live Liv
by L122yTorch
Summary: Liv hasn't seen Elliot in a very long time. Perhaps a tragedy like being shot will bring back her lost partner.
1. Chapter 1

It felt like a crushing fist of pain and pressure screaming through her body. In that moment Olivia's mind couldn't catch up to what was happening with her body. The smoke filled room obscured her vision and the shots reverberated in her ears. She felt herself being pushed backwards by the force of the bullets tearing through her black pea coat, the navy blue silk blouse beneath and into soft flesh.

As darkness began to swallow her vision she could hear the little girl in the corner crying and Amaro's frightened voice screaming her name.

They had followed a lead that seemed improbable if not impossible. They never expected to find Jacobson, the perp, or Courtney, the seven year old girl he had taken.

As their car pulled up to the warehouse fifteen minutes earlier, Amaro called for back up. "We should wait," Olivia said. "I don't have a good feeling about this," she said looking out the passenger side window at the cold steel structure. "C'mon Liv, what are you scared," he half laughed.

She shook her head and rubbed her forehead with her hand. "You're right," she said. "I know it's a long shot, but if he does have her here we shouldn't waste time," she said unbuckling her seatbelt.

The harder Amaro pressed on her abdomen, the more blood spilled out. _This is my fault_ he thought. With slippery red fingers he called for a bus and asked Courtney if she was okay. The perp was down, Olivia had shot him at the exact moment he shot her; except he was dead.

A crimson lake began to pool on the floor and the minutes between the shots and the sirens were too long. "Hang in there Olivia," Amaro choked. "The bus is coming, you're going to be okay," tears began to sting his eyes. " "Is…the girl okay?" Olivia mumbled. "She's fine Liv…and the bastard's dead."

A look of relief briefly washed across her face but her breaths had become jagged and heavy eyelids began to close over her rich brown eyes.

"Olivia," Amaro whispered, tears now streaming down his face. "OLIVIA!"


	2. Chapter 2

Elliot's heart nearly beat out of his chest when the loud ring of his cell phone cut through the quiet darkness of his bedroom. A clumsy hand reached out and slapped the nightstand but missed the mark. A ringing and buzzing phone fell to the ground and El's groggy hand followed it to the floor. His fingers grasped the edges and he pulled it up to his face. The bright screen said CRAIGEN.

He didn't want to answer. He told them not to contact him, what about that don't they understand? His thumb swiped over the DECLINE button and he slammed the phone in his nightstand drawer. He took a sharp breath in and rolled over in bed.

He stared up at the blades of the still ceiling fan until he fell asleep.

Heavy thuds were the next sound to ring through the room. Elliot, out of habit, reached for a gun that wasn't there. He sat up in bed and looked over at the clock. It was 3:32 in the morning. Who the hell would be at his door?

He swung his legs around to the side of the bed and cautiously made his way to the door. He looked through the peephole. Fin's familiar face was occupying the space outside his apartment. His face looked worn and tired, wrought with concern. Just as his fist was about to slam down on the door Elliot opened it.

"What the hell Fin…" Elliot mumbled, the lights in the hallway burning his sleepy eyes. "What the hell to you too," Fin spat back pushing Elliot in the chest. "Craigen and I and Munch have been calling you for hours and hours." "What'd somebody die?" Elliot jested. "Maybe," Fin said, bringing a shaking hand up to his face.

Elliot suddenly felt much more awake. "What happened? Who's hurt?" his voice filled with alarm. He dreaded the name slipping past Fin's lips. "Olivia got shot Elliot." The words felt like a blow to the gut.

He fell backward and into an arm of a living room chair. He looked up at Fin stunned. "She's alive Elliot, but she took two to the chest. I know you didn't want to keep contact with the precinct…but…we don't know if she'll make it." Elliot was already back in his bedroom throwing drawers open and whipping clothes on. Everything Fin had said after the words "Olivia got shot," were a jumbled blur.

Since he had quit his job Elliot had moved two hours of the city. Kathy left him and had the kids. This small apartment was his home, but it never felt like it.

He had managed not to say a word to Olivia, or anyone else at the precinct after he left and it killed him every day. She had tried to reach him several times and he never responded. _A clean break _is how he justified it in his head. And now she could be dying? Without him? He's her partner. He should be there for her. Always.

…

The drive to the hospital was painful. The two hour stretch to the city felt like a lifetime. Fin drove and Elliot didn't utter a word. He didn't ask how it happened, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Every moment he had ever spent with her was rushing through his mind. He brought his hand up to his face and desperately tried to hold back tears. His heart beat so fast in his chest that he was sure Fin could hear it in the silence. He was angry and sad and coming apart at the seams and yet sat still in the dark quiet of the night as Fin pushed close to 90 mph.

_I may never see her face again. _That thought flashed in Elliot's mind and he heard himself gasp with a sob into the silence. His body shook and he tried to breathe and calm down but his whole body was screaming,

Fin never took his eyes off the road. He gripped the wheel tighter and whispered, "we're almost there Elliot."


	3. Chapter 3

It was like walking into a nightmare. The glaring neon lights of the hospital spilled down long hallways and doctors and nurses shuffled past Elliot. Fin was parking the car and Elliot was winding down halls, unsure of where to go. He just kept walking until he heard his name spoken and it pulled him to turn around.

"Munch," the older man looked exhausted, his tie was undone and he was holding a bag of pretzels. "Is she…" "We don't know," Much said. "We're waiting for the doctor." "When did it happen?" "Four or five hours ago. C'mon, I'll bring you to the waiting room."

Munch reached out and pulled Elliot towards him by his elbow. After a few short steps they were at a private waiting room. Cragen was leaning against the wall, looking down at the floor. A younger blonde woman was seated and wringing her hands and a tall dark haired man paced across the already worn floor. Cragen looked up. "Elliot."

Every single person in the room looked scared, tired, drained. Elliot didn't know what to say to his former captain. He never thought he would be in this situation. _I never should have left, _was the only thought that occupied his head space. _Maybe then she wouldn't be…_

Fin nearly bumped into Elliot as he swung around the corner and entered the room. "Any news?" "Nothing yet," Cragen answered.

A few moments of silence passed. Both the blonde and dark haired man were staring over at Elliot. "Uh, Rollins, Amaro, this is former Detective Elliot Stabler, Liv's last partner," Cragen said gesturing over to Elliot.

"Hi," Elliot chocked out. He couldn't take his eyes off of Amaro's shirt, soaked in blood. He must have been there. He must be her _new partner_. The words stung, even as a mere thought. "You were there," Elliot murmured at Amaro. He stopped pacing. Through hollow eyes and sunken cheeks Amaro looked over at Elliot and slowly nodded. There was nothing he could say, no way to explain what had happened to cause this without falling apart. He was the reason why Olivia got shot, and it was breaking him.

Elliot could clearly see how traumatized Amaro was.

Awkward silence swallowed the room.

Maybe ten minutes had passed when a balding man in a white coat entered the room. His nametag said Dr. Zapas and he looked just as exhausted as everyone else occupying the room. Immediately every face lit up with eager concern.

"How is she?" Elliot said so fast that he nearly tripped over his own words. The doctor took a deep breath. "She's doing alright. As you all know, she sustained two shots to the chest/abdomen region. One of the bullets went straight through and missed vital organs, while the other bullet bounced off the back of her ribcage. We've repaired most of the damage and managed to stop the bleeding, however…"

Elliot felt like he was going to die right there. "However…" "The second bullet tore her left kidney to shreds. We've got her on a transplant list but…it could take days, weeks even, and she doesn't have that kind of time."

It felt like Elliot was wading through cement. His thoughts couldn't process the situation, his body felt like it weighed three hundred pounds. He brought a shaking hand up to the back of his neck and stared at a button on the Doc's white coat.

Everyone had stood up and was standing behind Elliot, taking in what the doctor was saying. "Without that kidney, having sustained such grievous injuries, her prognosis…isn't good."

Elliot's icy blue eyes were racing back and forth. He remembered…he remembered getting into an elevator with Olivia. A positive. They were both A positive. He let out a gasp of relief. "I would give you a kidney," he had joked with her. "Not if I give you mine first," she replied.

"We're both A positive," he said placing a grip on the doctor's shoulder. "We even talked about it…if one of us needed a kidney…I can give her mine, I can give her my kidney."

A moment of silence passed. Every set of eyes was fixed on Elliot. "Are you sure son?" the doctor asked. "Yes, yes I'm sure," he didn't even hesitate. "Then we'll have to run some tests, to make sure you're a viable match." "Elliot, you don't have to do this," Cragen said placing a hand on Elliot's shoulder. "Yes I do," Elliot replied.

"Come with me, we need to get the process going as soon as possible," the doctor said gesturing him out of the room. He began walking towards the door but felt pressure on his upper arm and hand whipped him around and into a hug. It was Amaro. "Thank you."

Elliot disappeared down the hallway with the doctor. "Now there are some risks, we'll have to explain the procedure to you and there will be plenty of paperwork. We'll start by drawing blood and getting your complete medical history…"

Elliot kept walking and it took him a moment to notice that the doctor had stopped. He turned and looked at the doctor. "Would you like to see her? Just briefly of course?" "Yes, yes, where is she?" The doctor reached out the door behind him and pushed the door open. "I'll give you two minutes. We've got a lot to do."

Elliot nodded and slid past the older man. The room was dark. There were monitors and lights and beeping. He was used to this…with victims…not his partner. His heart dropped as he saw her beautiful pale face for the first time in over a year.

He rushed over to her bed, grabbing her cold hand. Tears streaming down his face. "Olivia…it's me Elliot." She was unconscious; her upper body was all wrapped in bandages and disappeared underneath a blanket at her hips. "You know that kidney we talked about a while back? Well I'm going to give it to you and you're going to be fine," he said struggling with his words.

He gently swiped the hair off her forehead and lowered his lips to her clammy forehead. He paused for a moment, still stooped over her face. He put a hand on her cheek and brought his lips closer to hers. "It's going to be okay," he whispered. "I'm here." He brought his face lower, his lips touched hers.

Time came rushing back as Elliot heard the doorknob being touched. He pulled away from Olivia. Dr, Zapas stood in the doorway, "it's time to go," he said.


End file.
